Railway-switch.



No. 746,644. PATENTED DEC. s, 1903.

' J. P. PULSIFER.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

, APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.,

No. 746,644. Patented December 8, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

JAMES P. PULSIFER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- I THIRDS TO FRANK J. JOHNS AND JOHN NELSON GARRETT, OF SCRAN- TON, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAI LWAY-SWITC H.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,644, dated. December 8, 1903.

Application filed May 23, 1903. Serial No. 158,486. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: and a switch or branch track with my im- Be it known that 1, JAMES P. PULSIFER, a provements applied. I have also shown a citizen of the United States, residing in Philaportion of a street-car and have indicated by delphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of dotted lines the position of the rod which op- 5 Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and erates'the switch. Fig. 2 is a detail top plan 55 usefullmprovementsin Railway-Switches,of vview, on an enlarged scale, of my improved which the following is a specification. switch. Fig. 3 shows a transverse section on Myinvention relates to railway-switches of the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. dis a perspective the classin which a car may be automatically View of the toothed and ribbed wheel. Fig.

[ shifted from a main track to a siding or 5 is apcrspective View of the plate carrying 60 branch track by means of devices carried by the switch-point. Fig. 6 shows a portion of the car and under the control of the driver or a street-car with the vertically-moving rod motorman. for operating the switch.

The object of my invention is to improve The main track Ais joined to abranc'h track mechanism of this class in such manner as to B in the usual way, except as hereinafter in- 65 renderit more reliable in operation, less liable dicated. The rails shown are of the ordinary to be clogged by the presence of dust, snow, grooved type, and the joint at a; and y may &c., and more easily accessible for inspection be of any approved form. The switch-point and repair. Y O is formed on the raised or enlarged portion In carrying out my invention I form a dof aplate D, which is mounted to slide with- 70 switch-point in the raised or enlarged portion in a box or case E.

of a plate which is mounted to slide in a Grooves c c on opposite sides of the point closely-fitting box or case in such manner as are adapted to register, respectively, with the to cause the switch-point toregister with a grooves 61 and b of the rails A and B on one 2 5 rail of either the main track or a branch track. side of the tracks. 75

A'wheel having radial teeth on its periphery The box or case Ehas closed sides and ends is mounted within the box and is formed on and a removable top plate 6, which covers its under face with radial ribs adapted to enabout half of the box. The box is formed gage lugsprojecting upwardly from the plate. with a flanged cross-piece e, and one end The arrangement is such that when the wheel piece of the box is formed with a horizontal 80 is turned through aportionofarevolution arib inwardly-projecting flange 6 The two opthereon will engage one of the lugs and cause posite sides of the box are formed with slots the plate to be shifted, thus changing the poor openings 6 between the top plate e and the sition of the switch-point relatively to the cross-piece e forapurpose hereinaftor specimain and branch tracks. The lugs on the fied. 85 wheel are so disposed that when a car shifts The raised portion dot the plateDis formed the switch-point to one position the next car with flanges 01', which rest on the cross-piece traveling in the same direction may, if dee, the flanges e and the top edges of the sired, automatically shift the switch-point to sides of the box and are guided thereby as the first position. Each car is equipped with the plate slides, the movement of the plate 0 a vertically-moving rod normally held elebeing limited by said flange and cross-piece vated by a spring, but which when depressed and the arrangement being such that when is adapted to engage the teeth on the wheel the plate is at the limit of its movement in and to cause it to revolve as the car passes one direction the groove 0 will register with over it, thereby bringing one of its ribs into the groove a and when at the limit of its 5 engagement with a lug on the plate and efmovementin the opposite direction the groove fecting the shifting of the plate to change the 0 will register withthe groove 1). position of the switch. Beneath the top plate within the box is a In theaccompanying drawings, Figure 1 is wheel F, having on its periphery a series of a diagram showing a portion of a main track radially-projecting teeth 7 and on its under I00 side a series of radial ribs f. This wheel is adapted to turn about a bolt G, passing through the bottom of the box, a slot d in the plate, and through a hole in the wheel F. A spring g, interposed between the nut g and the wheel, holds the parts in proper relative positions.

As shown in Fig. 5, the plate D is provided with two upwardly-projecting lugs or studs H H. These are adapted to engage the ribs f on the wheel in the manner indicated in Fig. 2. These studs are arranged on diagonally-opposite sides of the axis of the wheel F, the arrangementbeing such that while the Wheel may be turned in the same direction the plate is moved alternately in opposite directions.

Each car is provided with a vertically-moving rod I, guided by a bracket J and normally held elevated by aspring K. The driver or motorman may depress the rod by placing his foot on the head 'i of the rod.

On opposite sides of the switch are guiderailsLL' for the rod I. The grooves Zof these rails are in line with the slots 6 of the box E, and when the rod I is depressed it may pass into the groove Z of one guide-rail through the slots 6 and into the groove lot the other rail L.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the teethf are adapted to project across the path of the rod I in passing through the switch, the arrangement being such that there will always be one such tooth in a line with the slots e In Fig. l the switch is so set that the main line is open and the cars may pass across the switch and keep on the main line, if desired; but if it is desired to pass onto the branch track the motorman or driver by depressing the rod I will cause it to engage one of the,

teeth f and the wheel F to be given a partial revolution, resulting in the lateral movement of the plate D from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 2 h h indicate the positions of the lugs H H. (Shown in Fig. 1.) If the switch is set, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the next car is to go onto the branch track, the driver or motorman does not depress the rod I; but if the car is to take the main track the rod I is depressed and engages the tooth at m. This will cause the wheel F to be turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, and the rod at n will engage the lug H and cause the plate D to be moved to the left until the groove 0 registers with the groove a. The switch may thus be shifted to the desired position by means of the rod I on the car. It is not necessary to stop the car to operate it, the operation being entirely automatic after the rod I is depressed.

It will be observed that the point C is not pivoted, but is made rigid with the raised portion (1 of the plate D, which slides back and forth in a closely-fitting case, from which dust, snow, &c., are excluded. The box or case is only open to a sufficient extent to allow the rod I to pass through it, and such foreign material as may enter the box through such opening may be readily removed after the top plate 6 has been taken off.

I claim as my invention 1. An automatic railway-switch, comprising a sliding plate carrying a switch-point, a box or case for said plate in which it is guided, and mechanism within the box actuated from a passing car for reciprocating the plate.

2. An automatic railway-switch, comprising a sliding plate carrying a switch-point, a box or case in which said plate is guided, lugs projecting from said plate, a toothed wheel within the box, and ribs on the wheel engaging the lugs on the plate.

3. An automatic railway-switch comprising a box or case, a toothed wheel therein having radial ribs, a plate guided by the box and carrying a switch-point, and lugs projecting from the plate on opposite sides of the axis of the wheel, and adapted to engage the ribs on the wheel.

4. An automatic railway-switch comprising a sliding plate, a box or case within which the major portion of the plate is inclosed, and by which it is guided, a removable top plate for the box, a toothed, ribbed wheel within the box beneath the top plate, and lugs on the sliding plate adapted to engage the ribs on the wheel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JAMES P. PULSIFER.

Witnesses:

M. H. H001), MARY E. LOPEZ. 

